'Entrepreneurs should Travel to Learn New Things'

The President of Gionee Communication Equipment says young entrepreneurs should visit countries like China and the US to see how they are developing and observe their working style.

William Lu is the President of Gionee Communication Equipment Co., Ltd. The Chinese mobile phone manufacturer produces more than 100,000 sets per day all of which goes through a rigorous quality check. Gionee has launched seven models — five smart phones and two feature phones – in Nepal. The company is soon coming up with the world’s slimmest phone.

We recently talked to Mr. Lu at his office in Shenzen, China.

It is difficult for most Nepalis to believe in the quality of Chinese products. As you are launching your products in such a market, how would you assure Gionee phones are worth the price?

There are a few global brands in the market – Apple and Samsung to name a few. We work closely with our partners and suppliers, and we are doing well in India. So we are confident about Nepal too. Apart from that, Gionee has been in existence since 2002, and in a year, has sold over 25 million handsets in over 40 countries. With our own design, manufacturing and research and development, we are here to set new records.

Nepal is considered to be a market where people need hi-end products at low prices. Is Gionee ready to do that?

Gionee products are of good quality, and will be 30 percent cheaper than phones of leading brands. Gionee has its own OS called Amigo that can be upgraded through the Internet.

Gionee is already present in 41 international markets. What do you expect from a small market like Nepal?

A mobile phone is a must for everybody. Similarly, smart phones are going to be a part of everyone’s lives soon. There are only local brands (at the low end) or brands like Apple and Samsung at the other end. There is a huge gap between these two. Gionee offers feature phones to smart phones that completely bridge the divide.

The brand will have around 32 service centers across Nepal. We are planning to launch seven models, including bar phones.

Gionee smart phones use the Amigo OS. Could you please elaborate on its features?

In Spanish, Amigo means ‘a friend’. Amigo is a user-friendly system and an upgraded version of Android. We have more than four hundred engineers who work to improve the OS.

What are your suggestions

for young Nepali entrepreneurs?

Young entrepreneurs should visit countries like China and US to see how they are developing and observe their working style. They should see how big companies like Google and Facebook work, study at universities and come up with new technologies.

How long have you been involved with Gionee? What does Gionee actually mean?

I have been with Gionee since 2010. The word Gionee comes from the Chinese word Gini (gold a standard). Gionee plans to become one of the top three brands in Nepal in its first year and the number one brand in the second year.